


The Plane

by HPFanGirl99



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 17:44:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18833590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HPFanGirl99/pseuds/HPFanGirl99
Summary: What if Slade had convinced the Society to bring Nightwing up with them on the plane when they dropped Chemo?





	The Plane

**Author's Note:**

> The first two sections take place in Slade's POV, and the last two sections take place in Dick's POV.
> 
> Sorry if Slade is a bit OOC, but I don't like that he was so eager to nuke Bludhaven. He's a gun for hire, not a mass murderer. Therefore, in this version, he extremely reluctantly goes along with the plan.

Slade felt a headache starting to form as he listened to the plans being made. Attacking a few heroes and cities here and there was one thing, but _dropping Chemo_ _on Bludhaven_?

He startled ever so slightly when the room fell silent and realized they were all watching him expectantly. “You’re awfully quiet, Slade. What are you thinking about?” Black Adam drawled.

“There’s just one problem with this.” He was thrown curious looks, and Slade bit back a sigh. “Nightwing. There’s a good chance he’ll die in the attack.”

“And that’s a problem because...?” Everyone seemed bewildered at his objection.

Slade had to resist the urge to roll his eye. Did none of them understand superhero dynamics? “If it were anyone else, there might be a bit of outrage and minor retaliation from a few superheroes. But Nightwing... he dies and we’re going to have major problems.”

“Why? What makes him so special?” Most of them still seemed confused.

“Nightwing’s natural charisma and leadership skills have gained him the respect and admiration of most everyone he comes in contact with. He’s also an expert at making and maintaining relations with the capes, in a way that Batman can _never_ match.” Slade neglected to add that he also grudgingly respected the kid.

Talia’s eyes went wide in horror. “He’s beloved almost universally by most of the cape groups: the Bat Family, the Teen Titans, and the Justice League. If he’s killed, they’ll all be out for our blood.”

To his relief, the rest of them seemed to get the picture. “What if we were to grab Nightwing and take him aboard the plane?” Lex Luthor had a cruel gleam in his eyes, as did the others.

“The city would be without their protector, it would be a major blow to morale,” Doctor Psycho added on.

“Plus, it would be highly traumatizing to Nightwing to watch us destroy his city without being able to stop us,” Calculator finished up.

Slade had to fight back a relieved noise. _Thank god_. Even though Nightwing was a pain in the ass, he didn’t want the kid dead. Granted, Grayson would probably _wish_ that he was dead after this all went down.

“So, how are we grabbing him?” Talia asked.

“I’ll do it,” Slade volunteered. At the wary glances he received, he let out a sigh. “If any of you were to get him, he’d immediately start fighting and/or call for backup. I’m one of the only villains he won’t instantly be suspicious of.”

They gave him incredulous looks, and Slade grimaced. He pulled out his phone and dialed Grayson’s number. “Look, I’ll call him right now and set up a meeting.” They all stayed silent as he put the phone on speaker mode.

After two rings, Grayson picked up. “Slade, is everything alright?” He sounded stressed out, most likely at trying to get the whole plan regarding Bludhaven all set up.

“I need to see you one-on-one ASAP.” Slade made sure to keep his voice even and calm, but with a faint edge of urgency.

“O-of course. Where would you like to meet up?” Grayson seemed confused and worried.

“I have a safehouse in NYC.” He figured it wouldn’t be a suspicious place to hold an urgent meeting.

There was a brief moment of silence on the other end, and he could practically hear the gears spinning in Grayson’s head. “Yeah, that works. Just give me an hour or two.”

A victorious smile curled Slade’s face. “I’ll see you there.” He hung up and texted the coordinates to Grayson.

He stood up and sent them a smug smirk. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to pick up Nightwing. Do you want me to bring him back here?”

They exchanged looks, before nodding. Slade mentally grimaced, before stalking out of the room. He had a bird to catch, who hopefully would be able to eventually forgive him for his role in this.

One and a half hours later, Slade was anxiously waiting by the front door of his safehouse. He only had to wait another 15 minutes before Grayson ran towards the door of the safehouse. He opened the door and quickly ushered the kid inside.

“Slade, what’s going on?” Grayson looked worried, and rightfully so.

Slade lightly rested a hand on Grayson’s back, and a sedative filled syringe slid from his sleeve into his hand. He quickly jabbed the needle into Grayson’s back and injected the drug.

Immediately, Grayson swayed, and he quickly caught the kid before he collapsed onto the ground. “Slade? What’s going on?” Grayson sounded terrified and confused.

“I’m sorry, Dick. You have to believe me, I _never_ wanted this to happen. I’m a mercenary, not a mass murderer.” Slade felt the apology stick in his throat, but he forced it out. He _needed_ the kid to understand that this situation was out of his hands.

He watched as Grayson’s eyes went wide in horror, easily realizing what was going to happen. “No, no, not Bludhaven. Why?”

Slade shook his head regretfully. “I had to convince them that if you were to die in the explosion, everyone would be after our blood because of how likable you are.”

“Them?” Grayson was obviously struggling to stay conscious.

“The Secret Society of Super-Villains, I’m a core member.” Slade felt the urge to explain himself to the kid.

Grayson let out a small moan of “no” before passing out. Slade carefully lowered the kid onto the ground, before removing all of Grayson’s tools from his body. He sighed at the sheer number of weapons the kid was carrying.

Slade put the weapons into a bag, before tightly tying Grayson up. He wasn’t about to take the chance of the kid processing the sedative quicker than expected and waking up. He picked up Grayson and took him to his car, before placing him in the trunk.

Slade got into the car and started driving. About an hour later, he was back at the hideout. Slade stalked into the conference room with an unconscious Grayson in his arms. “Here you go.”

Everyone looked highly impressed. “You’re sure they don’t know he visited you?” Talia questioned.

Slade rolled his eye. “I’m positive. Let’s get this over with.”

They all stood up before heading out of the room.

\-------

Slade leaned against the wall of the plane, observing an unconscious Grayson. He was sitting in a chair which wasn’t bolted down to the floor, and his hands were restrained behind with back with handcuffs.

God, did any of them actually _know_ the kid? Just because Grayson didn’t have his weapons on him, didn’t mean he was any less dangerous.

His eye narrowed imperceptibly when he heard Grayson’s breath briefly pick up before it smoothed out again.

Suddenly, there was a blur of movement as Grayson sprang up from the chair, using it as a weapon to smash it into the nearest villain. Unfortunately, he was extremely outnumbered and was subdued within mere seconds.

Grayson was easily lifted off his feet, his arms pinned to his sides by two villains Slade couldn’t recall the names of at the moment.

Grayson glanced over at him, and he shook his head ever so slightly. There was nothing he could do to help the kid right now.

There was a faint look of terror in Grayson’s eyes before it was replaced with anger. “What the hell are you going to do to Bludhaven?” Grayson spat out.

A smirking Talia al Ghul stepped in front of Nightwing. “Why don’t you show our _guest_?”

The two men took Grayson to see Chemo, and he let out a horrified gasp. “This is insane! Chemo is going to kill _millions_ of innocent people!” Grayson hissed at Talia.

There was laughter from everyone. “That’s the idea,” Talia said sweetly.

Slade watched Grayson, whose mind was obviously racing to find a way to save Bludhaven. It was hopeless, but he knew the kid would keep on trying until the bitter end.

“I-I don’t know what I did to anger you all, but I’m sorry! I’m _so_ sorry! Spare them and take it out on _me_ instead! Torture, kill, do _whatever_ you want to me; just _please,_ don’t destroy Bludhaven!” Grayson let out a small sob, and it obviously pained him to be reduced to begging all these villains like this.

Talia cupped Grayson’s face, gently wiping away the single tear that trailed down his face. “Shh, don’t cry. They’ll all have quick and painless deaths,” she lightly cooed into his ear.

“No, no, _please_ don’t do this,” Grayson pleaded again, but it was obvious that he knew that there was nothing he could do to stop this from happening.

Talia mockingly brushed her fingers through Grayson’s hair, before stepping aside.

Dr. Psycho replaced Talia in front of Grayson, a cruel grin on his face. “Now, we’re going to need your help.”

Grayson let out a low growl. “And you think I’m going to cooperate?”

Everyone smirked, looking amused. “Oh, not willingly, but I have my ways of making you,” Dr. Psycho purred.

Grayson immediately started struggling against men holding him, looking terrified. He obviously knew enough about Dr. Psycho to realize what was about to happen. After a few seconds, Grayson went limp, his head resting against his chest.

Slade felt a surge of alarm at this change in plans that he hadn’t been made aware of. He realized it was probably due to the concern he had expressed over Grayson’s wellbeing.

He had a sinking suspicion on what Grayson was going to be forced to do. If so, it was going to _destroy_ the kid.

“You’re sure you’ve got him completely under your control?” Talia warily asked.

Dr. Psycho looked insulted at his abilities being questioned. “He’s currently able to see _everything_ that’s going on. He’s _completely_ aware of what he’s going to be doing, and with the knowledge that he can’t do anything to stop himself. Put him down.”

The two villains dropped Grayson to the floor, and he didn’t get up. Dr. Psycho grinned, before leaning over Grayson’s prone form. “Get up.”

Grayson got to his feet in a smooth motion and remained still. Slade knew the kid had impressive willpower, so for him to not be able to resist Dr. Psycho was worrying.

“Go over to the control panel,” Dr. Psycho ordered. Grayson walked over to the control panel immediately.

“Press the red button,” Dr. Psycho purred out triumphantly. Slade felt a small surge of relief when Grayson stayed still, obviously struggling against the order.

“ _Press the red button_ ,” Dr. Psycho repeated dangerously. To Slade’s horror, Grayson slowly extended his arm downwards, as if in slow motion. His pointer finger momentarily hovered over the red button, before he pressed it.

As soon as Grayson had pressed it, Dr. Psycho released him from the mind control.

Slade flinched at the raw shriek of “NO!” that escaped from Grayson’s lips at the realization of what he had been forced to do. Grayson immediately scrambled over to the window of the plane, watching as Chemo fell onto Bludhaven.

Grayson slowly sank to his knees, pressing his hands onto the window. He started hysterically muttering denials under his breath, seeming to go into shock.

Slade warily watched Grayson, he knew how the kid reacted to situations like this. Wait for it... He could hear the laughter and jeers directed at Grayson but ignored it.

After what seemed like an eternity, Grayson eventually seemed to snap out of it. “How could you do this? You monsters!” His voice rose, anger creeping into his voice.

Grayson slowly got to his feet, turning around with clenched fists. “ _You monsters_!” he screamed out furiously. There it was... the anger he had been expecting.

He threw himself at Talia, smashing both of them into a wall and knocking her unconscious. He then aimed a kick at Dr. Psycho, making him go flying across the room and slam against the floor, also knocking him unconscious.

By that time, everyone had gotten out of their shock and started going after the kid. Unfortunately, in Grayson’s rage, it was a lot harder to take him down. By the time they managed to knock him unconscious, Grayson had taken out five other people.

Slade ignored the annoyed looks thrown his way from his position of still leaning against the wall. “Would’ve appreciated some help from you, Slade,” Black Adam snapped.

“I took one for the team the last time Nightwing was even _remotely_ this angry. Forgive me if I didn’t want to put myself in his path again,” Slade hissed out in irritation.

Slade rolled his eye at the unasked question in everyone’s eyes. “It was when the second Robin was murdered by the Joker. Nightwing was off-world at the time and heard about it from the Titans instead of Batman. He went berserk and started rampaging in Jump City. It took me over an _hour_ of solid fighting before he collapsed from sheer exhaustion.” Grayson had then started to bawl in his arms for a solid hour afterward, but he wasn’t about to tell them _that_ tidbit.

Everyone exchanged looks of surprise at that. Slade stalked over to where Grayson was lying. The odd angle his neck was at was extremely worrying. He crouched down and pressed his fingers against the kid’s wrist. To his relief, he could feel a strong heartbeat. Thank god.

“So, what now?” Calculator asked.

Slade sighed ever so slightly as he stood back up. “I’ll take him back to Gotham and give him to the Bats.”

They all exchanged looks, before nodding in agreement. The rest of the plane ride was silent with grim satisfaction at what they had managed to accomplish. Once they had landed, Slade carefully slung Grayson over his shoulder and headed towards his car. He tied up the kid and put him in his trunk, before heading to Gotham.

Within a few, he was at the gates of Wayne Manor. He hit the intercom button, and after a few the stressed-out voice of Alfred Pennyworth answered, “Hello, who is this?”

“Hello, Pennyworth. It’s Slade Wilson. I have Grayson with me,” Slade calmly replied back.

“Head straight into the open garage door,” Pennyworth barked out, the gates opening.

Slade drove into the garage, where he was greeted at the sight of a pissed off Bruce Wayne. The minute he put the car in park and got out, he was slammed against the wall of the garage. “Where is Dick?” Bruce growled out.

“The trunk. He was knocked out, probably has a bit of a concussion.” Slade wasn’t intimidated, without the cape and cowl Wayne wasn’t as scary as normal.

Pennyworth immediately opened the trunk and managed to get Grayson out of it. “What did you do to him?” Wayne hissed dangerously.

“You have to understand, I never intended for this to happen.” Slade felt a small surge of regret. “You’re lucky I managed to convince them that we should grab Grayson to prevent him from dying.”

“Talk!” Wayne roared angrily.

Slade shook his head ever so slightly. “His weapons are in a bag in the shotgun seat. Tell Grayson that when he’s better, he has to finish our agreement. Speaking of jobs, _you_ have to take care of Bludhaven.”

Wayne gave him one last dirty look, before releasing him. He grabbed the bag of gear and rushed over to Grayson. He picked him up bridal style, before taking the kid into the manor, and Slade got back into the car. He drove back to his base, before collapsing on his bed.

Well, he could officially add mass murderer to his extensive list of crimes now. Slade closed his eyes and fell into a restless sleep. Grayson’s scream kept echoing in his head, and he knew he’d never be able to forget the sound for the rest of his life.

\-------

Dick let out a small moan of pain as he slowly felt himself wake up. He wasn’t on that plane, he was positive of that. His eyes snapped open in horror as everything rushed back to him. The plane! He bolted upright, only for hands to push him down again.

“Shh. Dick, it’s ok. You’re safe now.” Bruce’s concerned face appeared above him.

“Bludhaven! I need to help Bludhaven!” Dick cried out in panic, hot tears starting to trail down his face.

Large hands gently stroked his hair. “Superman took care of Chemo,” Bruce tried to reassure him.

Dick tried to get up again but was pushed down. “Dick, _what happened_?” Bruce looked worried.

“Slade, he... he asked me for a meeting, but it was an ambush. I had a recording device on me just in case something happened, but all of my weapons are gone.” Dick stared down at his hands, which were trembling.

Bruce and Alfred exchanged looks before Alfred placed a bag on his lap. “Wilson brought you back here and gave us your gear.”

Dick started frantically tearing the bag apart, before finding what he was looking for. He turned on the device so they could hear the conversation that happened in the safehouse.

There was dead silence after the recording was finished. “It was weird. Slade _apologized_ , and he seemed genuinely remorseful,” Dick hesitantly pointed out.

Bruce looked surprised to hear that. “Then... then I woke up on the... the plane.” Dick’s voice shook, and he tried to stop the tears welling up in his eyes.

“They... they told me they were going to drop Chemo on... on Bludhaven. I... I tried to beg, telling them to spare Bludhaven and... take it out on... me, but it didn’t work. And... and then... they forced me to... to... to...” Dick couldn’t finish the sentence as he began to hyperventilate.

Hands gently brushed through his hair, trying to soothe him. After what seemed like an eternity, he felt himself slowly start to calm down. “Dick, what did they force you to do?” Bruce gently cupped his face, tilting his head up to meet his eyes.

“Mind control. Doctor Psycho. I... I tried to break out of it. I tried Bruce, I really tried! Bruce, you _have_ to believe me!” Dick felt a surge of sheer panic at the idea that Bruce would blame him for this because he wasn’t strong enough.

“Dick, it’s not your fault. He’s been able to control Wonder Woman before, there’s no way you would’ve been able to resist him. I promise you, it’s not your fault.” Bruce’s voice was firm, holding no room for discussion.

Even though Dick desperately wanted to believe him, he couldn’t feel anything but overwhelming guilt at what had happened.

“Dick, what did they force you to do?” Bruce gently repeated.

Dick curled into a ball, tears streaming down his face, and his voice was barely audible. “I pressed the button to drop Chemo on Bludhaven.”

Strong arms tightly wrapped around him, pressing him against Bruce’s chest. “Shh, Dick. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.” Bruce repeated it like a broken record as he stroked his hair and rubbed his back.

Dick felt something break inside him, and for the first time tonight, he allowed himself to vocalize his grief. He burst into uncontrollable sobs, clinging desperately onto Bruce as if he was a lifeline.

Dick wasn’t sure how long he had cried in Bruce’s arms for. Even after his tears dried up and his voice almost disappeared, Bruce didn’t make any motion to let go of him. They both knew there was plenty of work to do in both Bludhaven and Gotham, but Bruce just continued to sit there and comfort him.

Dick eventually pushed Bruce away, who still seemed to have questions. “What did Wilson mean by you have to ‘finish our agreement’?” Bruce looked worried.

Dick wiped the remnant of his tears off his face. “I teach Rose how to be a hero and make her a member of the Teen Titans. In exchange, he owes me two favors I can call in at almost any time.”

Bruce looked surprised to hear that, and Dick sighed. “Slade just wants the best for his children. He knows they’re better off away from him with the Titans. However, Rose wants to be involved in his business, so we have an elaborate plan set up to drive her away. It’s almost completed, I just need to make the final move and she should hate him forever.”

Bruce let out a faint hum, still looking suspicious. Dick ran a hand through his hair, before standing up and starting to get his equipment resituated. “We need to help Bludhaven.”

A faint smile curled Bruce’s face before he pulled his cowl on. “Let’s do this.”

\-------

Dick tiredly slumped in the shotgun seat of the Batcar. Now that Bludhaven was destroyed, it looked like he was going to be living in the manor again.

As soon as he got out of the Batcar, he felt a surge of sheer frustration. Couldn’t he get a break? Ra’s al Ghul was leaning against the Batcomputer, with an unconscious Alfred slumped in a nearby chair.

Ra’s didn’t bat an eye, despite the fact that Dick and Bruce were pointing multiple weapons at him. “Do not worry, Pennyworth is merely sedated. He should be waking up in an hour or two.”

“I’m not going to apologize for throwing Talia into a wall, Ra’s. You want to fight, come back another time. I’m not in the mood.” Dick ignored the curious glance Bruce sent him.

Ra’s shook his head, approaching them. “A certain Slade Wilson called to tell me what had happened in the plane. He was concerned that I would come after you in revenge for what you did to my daughter.”

Dick and Bruce exchanged surprised looks at that. Ra’s stopped in front of Dick and cupped his face. “I was not involved in any of this.”

Dick flinched so slightly at Ra’s grip on him. “Yeah, I figured that. You would’ve been on the plane to watch it all go down if you had been.”

“My sincerest condolences for what happened to your city, Richard. Do they know the death count yet?” Ra’s lightly rubbed his thumb against Dick’s jaw, in what he probably thought was a soothing motion.

Dick sighed, before reluctantly whispering, “Over 100,000.” He shuddered, saying the number out loud made it horrifically real.

Ra’s looked utterly horrified, which Dick felt was kind of ironic considering what Ra’s had tried to do on multiple different occasions. Well, it was nice to see that Ra’s seemed to have his limits when it came to murder. “I’m not upset at what you did to my daughter. What she did to Bludhaven was a senseless slaughter, not actions to help save the environment.”

Ra’s released his hold on Dick, before stepping away. “If I were you, I’d check in with Wilson. He seemed unusually concerned about you.”

“He was the one who convinced them to bring me on the plane. Told them that if I died in the aftermath, all the capes would come after them because of who I am.” Dick scrubbed a hand over his face tiredly.

Bruce and Ra’s looked curious to hear that. “What’s the real reason?” Bruce spoke for the first time since entering the Batcave.

“He’s fond of me.” A strained smile curled Dick’s face. “I mean, who wouldn’t be?”

Ra’s lightly chuckled, while Bruce rolled his eyes. “He respects me for what I’ve managed to accomplish as a non-meta superhero. He also appreciates what I did for Joey and what I’m doing for Rose.” And we’ve occasionally fucked over the years, but Dick wasn’t about to tell them _that_.

Bruce didn’t seem convinced, and Dick had a feeling they’d be having a _very_ awkward and unwanted conversation later on.

Ra’s had an amused gleam in his eyes, and Dick wondered what Slade had told Ra’s. He gave Dick a sympathetic look before he turned around and swept out of the Batcave.

Dick grimaced at the look Bruce shot him. “I’d like to get some rest,” he deflected, before heading upstairs to the manor and collapsing onto his bed.

Dick rubbed his eyes, right now, he just wanted to sleep for a week. There was a small part of him that desperately hoped this was just a nightmare induced by Scarecrow’s fear toxin or something similar. However, deep down inside him, he knew that this was real.

Dick buried his face in his pillow, and muffled sobs began to escape his lips. As much as he wanted to hate Slade for convincing them to take him up on the plane, he couldn’t bring himself do to so.

There had been a good chance that he could’ve _died_ in Bludhaven, he was fully aware of that. Unlike most of the superheroes out there, he was only human. He had been _extremely_ lucky so far to manage to stay alive, considering his occupation and area of operations. It was a _miracle_ he hadn’t ended up dead the first time he had put on those little panties.

He tried to get some sleep, but every time he closed his eyes, he kept seeing Chemo falling down onto Bludhaven. Eventually, he passed out from sheer exhaustion.


End file.
